On my way to Swindon to do an eBay deal (and to find this Magic Roundabout thing), I pull away from a junction in a more "spirited" style and upon my change into 2nd gear the box grinds badly. The syncro on this box has always been a bit iffy on a fast 1st to 2nd upchange, but this wasn't. It then proved very hard to find any gear on the A34! I pulled off and stopped the car, where I found I could get all gears again. I put it down to a funny 5 mins and continued, but had to stop shortly after as the same happened again. This time, the clutch made a whirring sound as I pressed the pedal while idling on the stop and I once more couldn't get a gear. The whirring got worse and eventually I found 3rd, but a split second after the gear lever lurched forward and jammed itself pretty much up against the coin holder! It now won't move at all! I managed to drive the car back in 3rd gear (including a hill start.....my clutch is as sore as my wallet is bound to be) so it got me home when the odds were probably against it, like it did when I bent the crankshaft!
But what a situation! I've pretty much given up all hope on this box already, and there doesn't seem to be anything jammed in the linkages. It's always been a shite box this one, and what with the pinion needing doing, possible octopus, exhaust manifold, head rebuild as a few other jobs, it looks like the engine's coming out again!
This now also means I have to use a V8 TVR as a daily commuting car
